Questlove and Tony Allen drumming on stage together?  Talk about a dream concert… then add in the rest of the incredibly talented ensemble that comprised the Afro-Picks Big Band and you have something truly special.  Described as “a journey through African funk: past, present & future”, Questlove teamed up with the Red Bull Music Academy to co-curate a special concert dedicated to the immense impact of African funk and soul on modern music.  The unique show was a selection of tracks played by the Afro-Picks Big Band, which featured Tony Allen & Questlove on drums, Macy Gray, Black Thought, Mamani Keita, Amp Fiddler, members of Antibalas, the David Murray Big Band, Damon Bryson (of The Roots), cast members from Fela! the Broadway musical and more.  Needless to say, if you like good music, say Yeah, Yeah and listen to this epic show.

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The 4th annual Roots Picnic was headlined this year by The Roots (of course) and Nas, who performed a special set backed by The Roots.  It was a great way to close out the festival, with The Roots digging up some gems from their catalog and flawlessly rockin’ the set with Nas.  The personal highlight for me was a surprising cover of The Bottle, to pay homage to the late great Gil Scott-Heron.  Check out the soundboard recording of the full set right here.

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Earlier today, Esperanza Spalding took the stage at Festival Pier in Philadelphia, backed by The Roots for a memorable performance.  They collaborated to do some incredible covers of The Weather Report and Michael Jackson, among other songs.  Download the full set after the jump.

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If you aren’t lucky enough to be in Philly today for The Roots Picnic 2011, WXPN and Okayplayer have you covered with a webcast of the main stage.  Be sure to tune in at 1pm today, Saturday 6/4 to hear performances from Little Dragon, The Dismemberment Plan, Ariel Pink, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, Esperanza Spalding (backed by The Roots), Wiz Khalifa, Nas (backed by The Roots) and of course, The Legendary Roots Crew.  Live stream after the jump!

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Last year The Legendary held over 30 epic jam sessions at Highline Ballroom in NYC.  Each one was incredible and personally, I would rank many of them among their best shows ever.  There were countless memorable moments, but at their final jam session, The Roots jumped into an amazing 20 minute improvised jam with jazz icons Marcus Miller on bass and Christian Scott on trumpet.  Joining them were other talented musicians including Teodross Avery, Jason Moran, Maurice Brown, and of course, the Roots Crew.  You dont want to miss our exclusive recording after the jump.

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The 4th annual Okayplayer Holiday Jam was held last month and a slew of guests came out to rock the stage with The Legendary.  One of the highlights of the night was when the cast of FELA! walked over from Broadway to transform B.B. Kings into the The Shrine.  Black Thought kicked it off with an afrobeat mix of Criminal, which morphed into dozens of musicians and dancers taking the stage, bringing the full spirit of Fela with them.  Enjoy our exclusive recording of the 15 min performance, and if you can dig it say “Yeah, Yeah!”

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